I turn to Kavya, knowing what her answer to my next question is going to be. “Would it be that bad if I let Dominic think Ross and I are together a little longer? I think I might be able to win him back. All it’s going to take is a little jealousy.”

Kavya scowls and opens her mouth, but I jump to add, “It’s not like Ross and D will ever really meet, so what’s the harm in letting Dominic believe we’re a thing? And Ross is free to pursue any relationship or no relationship while they’re here.”

Kavya doesn’t look convinced, but she finally shrugs and says, “Suit yourself. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

     Ross     

Finding Sean a new boyfriend is way easier said than done. I go to a grocery store, a gym, and a bookstore, but each time I walk up to a masculine-presenting person asking if they’d like a new boyfriend, things do not end well. I get a banana thrown at me at the first, almost punched at the second, and put the Elders’ Healing magic to the test when I nearly throw up at the third. The sight of all that paper used for just one person to read a book sent my stomach into a tsunami.

The only thing that turns out well is that I get an entirely new wardrobe. The masculine jeans and shirt that appeared thanks to the Transformation magic did not feel right at all, and when I saw a pair of high-waisted jeans and a bodysuit, I knew I’d found the clothes for me. I even bought a pair of heels, but those are going to take some practice. The chunkier heeled boots I found will work in the meantime.

I’m wearing them to meet Sean, who texted me after school to ask if I wanted to grab dinner and that he’d take me to his favorite place. The sooner we hang out and I figure out where he’d go to find a jealousy-inducing temporary partner, the better. I’m only one day into this Journey and feeling the pressure of getting it over with so I’m not stuck up here forever. But when I show up to the address Sean said to meet, using the Maps app and everything like a real human, I kind of regret saying yes.

“This is your—achoo—favorite place?” I don’t mean to sound so judgy about it, but—actually, no, I do.